The Guardian. (2024, January 12).

‘Toadbusters’ take on exploding cane toad population in Queensland with gloves, bucket and torch. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/13/toadbusters-take-on-exploding-cane-toad-population-in-queensland-with-gloves-bucket-and-torch 

One of the most infamous invasive species is the cane toad. It was originally introduced to combat two types of beetles that were harming sugar cane farms and has become extremely invasive and destructive toward Australia’s ecosystems. They can eat anything that can fit into their mouths, but at the same time are poisonous to most Australian animals that try to eat them, sometimes even killing them. This allows cane toads to thrive in Australia, especially since they reproduce at extremely fast rates. Dr. Jodi Rowley, an invasive species officer said that the warm and wet conditions of this year as well as flooding have caused an increase in the cane toad population as they can easily thrive and expand their range through moving with the floods. Because of the cane toad’s destructiveness in Australia, Australians have become aware and begun helping fight these frogs by capturing them safely and humanly killing them. Another method that is used is trapping the tadpoles and killing them. It is still unknown if Australia ever can completely get rid of the cane toad for good.

After reading this article, one can easily see why cane toads in Australia have become an infamous example of the destructiveness of an Invasive species, and how difficult getting rid of them can be. It is great to see Australia’s government and citizens working together to combat this invasive species before it kills off more of Australia’s native species. However, while we can slow down the population growth rate of cane toads, it still feels unrealistic that we can anytime soon fully get rid of Cane toads in Australia. This is very different from other invasive species like American Minks which seem to be easy to get rid of with the right methods. Also, there is not as much drive in Australia among citizens who are not being paid by an environmental agency to kill these cane toads as they have almost no usage unlike with American minks in Europe. For Cane toads, it seems like the best solution is to use international corporations and continue to encourage locals to keep collecting cane toads. We can also take it as a lesson to not cluelessly introduce an invasive species without taking the damage they might cause into consideration.

NewScientist. (2024, January 15). Invasive mink eradicated from parts of England by using scented traps. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2412133-invasive-mink-eradicated-from-parts-of-england-by-using-scented-traps/ 

The American mink, native the North America has become invasive in the United Kingdom where it was farmed for fur. After many American minks either escaped the farms or were released by activists, the American minks started to thrive in the United Kingdom, harming native species of fish, birds, and small mammals including the native European mink. This destroys the native ecosystems’ balance. The idea of killing these mink, and how it would be done became a very complicated issue. However, a solution that has been tested to work in parts of the United Kingdom has recently come out. This solution involves creating mink traps that lure the American minks through the smell of their anal glands. Then once a mink is trapped, a signal is sent and a volunteer comes to check on if there is a mink inside the trap or a different animal. If it is a mink, it is culled, and if not it is released. This solution has already been tested at a somewhat small scale and gotten rid of American minks from the region it was being tested in. It now is receiving government funding and will expand until American minks are fully eradicated from the United Kingdom.

I believe that while it is unfortunate that the American minks will need to die despite it not being their fault they are invasive, this solution seems to be the best one as it is extremely effective in protecting the wilderness of areas where American Minks are invasive. Also, it can help prevent minks from being farmed for their fur, as people can use wild mink fur instead, which is more ethical since the mink gets to freely roam throughout most of its life, and less mink farming will be supported. This fur can then be sent to people in places like Siberia where they basically need fur and will hunt for the fur of native species either way. With mink fur, they will not need to hunt as many animals for their fur. This gives me hope for American minks to eventually leave England and hopefully other areas they are invasive in during my lifetime.

Geographical. (2023, November 27). Grey squirrel cull not necessary for biodiversity, says expert. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://geographical.co.uk/wildlife/grey-squirrel-cull-not-necessary-for-biodiversity 

Grey Squirrels, native to North America, have become invasive in the United Kingdom, displacing the native red squirrels from their native habitats. This is largely due to the grey squirrel’s ability to carry diseases that they are immune to that harm Red Squirrels, and strength and capabilities to out-compete red squirrels for food. These grey squirrels came to England in the 1870s by the Duke of Bedford who originally gifted and released grey squirrels in the United Kingdom. Since then their populations have grown very rapidly removing and pushing them away from areas of the United Kingdom like England. In the United Kingdom, where red squirrels are loved by many, people want to cull the grey squirrel populations so red squirrels can thrive. However, as opposed to the public’s main opinion, ecologist Nigel Dudley advocates that all animals including grey squirrels have the right to live in their natural environment, as long as they do not completely destroy a native species. This allows grey squirrels to not be culled since they only push the native red squirrels to other parts of the environment without destroying the population.

It is interesting how humans want grey squirrels to be culled in favor of keeping red squirrels in their natural range when red squirrels are still able to thrive, just in a different range. Grey squirrels also hardly affect the rest of the ecosystems they thrive in. Meanwhile, with species like cats in Hawaii which destroy other species’ populations and ruin biodiversity, people do not want to cull them and seem to want to protect them. This shows how just because a species is invasive does not mean it needs to be culled in all cases, especially since it is not the grey squirrel’s fault that it is invasive and therefore deserves to be killed. This shows that not all invasive species have to be run with one rule, as their effects on the environment can be at different levels of harm.

Oregon Public Broadcasting. (2024, January 4). Invasive European green crabs threaten Northwest shellfish industries. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/04/invasive-european-green-crabs-threaten-northwest-shellfish-industries/ 

The European Green Crab, originally used as fishing bait by people around the world including the Pacific Northwest has become invasive in many of these places it was used due to its high tolerance for different water temperatures and salinities. In Oregon, where oyster farming is a large part of its economy, European green crabs easily make their way inside the farms and eat the Oysters. This destroys oyster yields, which ruins the local economy. Also, the crabs harm native species by tearing eelgrass, where many native species are, as well as directly killing species like small native Dungeness crabs. To reduce this crab’s negative impact on wildlife and the economy, officials are trapping and finding European green crabs, as well as working on a program to educate people about which crabs are European green crabs and which are not, since not all European green crabs have the same colors. As of now, every person is allowed to catch up to 35 crabs per day, if enough people are educated however, there could be no limit for catching European green crabs, which people are encouraged to take home to eat, dispose of, or use in compost.

With the popularity of eating crabs in America, many of which are endangered species being eaten like the Florida stone crab, getting rid of the European green crab seems like it will be surprisingly easy to do through education while benefiting the economy. If enough people are educated about identifying European green crabs, then they could easily get a license, in the same way, fishing and hunting licenses are handed out by taking a few tests. Then these people could without any catch limit either catch the European green crabs themselves or work for another person or company that uses European green crabs for food to be sold. This benefits the economy as there will be more jobs as well as goods(the crabs) being bought and sold. Also through education and proper marketing, European green crabs can become a more popular food since they have similarities to crabs that are already being eaten throughout America. This is why unlike with issues like invasive cats in Hawaii, I have lots of hope for European green crab populations being reduced significantly in the Pacific Northwest during my lifetime.

VOX. (2024, January 24). Hawaii’s out-of-control, totally bizarre fight over stray cats. Retrieved January 25, 2024, from https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/24041534/hawaii-cats-invasive-species-extinction   

In the US State of Hawaii, where many native species have gone extinct, stray cats have been thriving easily since the 1700s when they arrived on ships. Nowadays there are many cats in Hawaii, many of which also were or descended from abandoned pets. The reason these cats are able to thrive so well in Hawaii is because they have no natural predators, and plenty of prey that have not adapted to surviving against cats as predators. Cats also reproduce quickly. What many Hawaiian locals do with good intentions is feed groups of cats called colonies, with one local being the “colony manager”. They also protect stray cats in other ways like providing them with shade and water dishes. This has sparked a large debate between those who help or are in favor of helping the stray cats(like animal welfare activists) since it is not their fault they live in Hawaii and should not suffer, and those who think doing such is wrong as it supports harming native wildlife. Many people who support the cats are not anti-native wildlife however, they think that by keeping the cats fed, they will not eat as many native species. Also, many of these people like to ethically trap the cats, neuter them, and then release them back. These methods are unrealistic as there are not enough resources to trap and neuter cats to make it work effectively, especially since they are not fenced up. Also, many scientists are speaking out against feeding the cats as it might not even work because of their instincts. However, the ethics of killing off an entire cat population would also be extremely unethical. This has left the debate between the two sides without a conclusion regarding the already stray cats. However, we are close to a solution regarding preventing new stray cats from coming into Hawaii and reproducing, and that is by requiring cat owners to neuter their cats.

I find this situation interesting since people place a separate standard on cats than other animals like invasive wild boars in terms of the ethics of lowering their populations. This is because when I researched California’s invasive boar problem, the solution most people did not oppose was to basically hunt them all off. However, with cats(which are less intelligent than pigs), none of the solutions that were being proposed were to get rid of them. This is likely due to the same reason that Westerners call cat meat unethical but will not bat an eye when it comes to pork, they are more used to keeping them as companions. Now I am not saying that we should kill off all the cats, especially since if we do a hunting program there will not be many uses for the dead cats, however, I do feel like people are treating the cats like royalty and thinking that they basically have the right to be in Hawaii. I think what should be done is ban all cat breeders from breeding cats, and all cats from the mainland from coming to Hawaii to be sold. Then, the only cats available for pets in Hawaii would be stray ones that have been captured and taken into shelters, which can be made in large amounts if each cat costs money to adopt, and the shelters use that money to build more shelters. As the demand for pet cats gets higher, more and more feral cats will be caught and put up for adoption. Once somebody adopts a cat, they should also be legally required to neuter them. This solution will not only make the cats have better lives than in the streets but also will protect Hawaii’s native species by reducing Hawaii’s growing feral cat population.

Lake County News. (2023, March 12). Tuleyome Tales: Bullfrog blight. Retrieved September 04, 2023, from https://lakeconews.com/news/75161-tuleyome-tales-bullfrog-blight#:~:text=California%20allows%20the%20importation%20of,help%20limit%20the%20negative%20impacts. 

American Bullfrogs, native to Eastern North America are one of California’s top ten invasive species. Originally brought as food for gold miners, many escaped and reproduced throughout California. People still bring them to California for food and as pets and oftentimes release them. Due to them laying 40,000 eggs a year, and their large bodies and appetites, they outcompete and eat native amphibians, along with other species. This has resulted in extreme native species population declines.

American Bullfrogs are eight-inch one-pound frogs with high reproduction rates that are native to Eastern North America. However, they are invasive to California where the ecosystems are not made for them. They eat native baby birds, amphibians, baby fish, small mammals, and insects. They also kill animals through chytrid fungi which does affect the bullfrogs themselves, but kills native animals. Bullfrogs killing species not only is harmful to the ones directly killed but also harms other species that rely on those native organisms to live. When I read this article, I wondered how humans can help fix a problem they created. In certain areas, bullfrogs could be hunted and used as food, however in Clearlake where the water has mercury, the frogs would likely be unsafe to eat making them have to be killed off for nothing, or animal feed. This makes me upset because a bunch of innocent bullfrogs have to be killed because humans decided to bring them to California killing native species.